The Tale of Two Lovers
by CenturyArchive
Summary: Her eyes met his, searching. "Are you Raiquen?" "As much as you are Chantrea." "Guess we aren't allowed to speak, then." "Guess not." "We should probably turn around and go home." "We should." "Right now." "Right now." Spirits, her eyes… A beat. She grinned. "Want to eat lunch with me?"
1. First Sight

**Hi, guys! I really hope this story fleshes out the characters of Oma and Shu, because their story in the actual series was so vague. I have no idea how long it will be, but this chapter is relatively short. Hopefully you all enjoy it! ^.^**

******Disclaimer: Alas, my name is not Mike nor Bryan.**

**Shu**

"Shu, come back here! Shu! You have a village to look after! Your people need…"

The young warrior ignored his father and rounded a bend, where the suffocating elder's words were much more difficult to hear. He smiled to himself and hummed a little tune, an old lullaby his mother used to sing to him. _Something about peace,_ he thought, trying to remember the words. _Not that peace matters in this world._ No, not to people like his father. Not to the people of the Raiquen, and certainly not to the Chantrea.

His favorite spot loomed above him. It was perfect for thinking and watching as his village bustled about, though he never dared look over the other side- that territory was forbidden. The grassy green hill was alive with spring wildflowers, and after a short climb, he was able to behold the cherry trees on top in all their budding splendor.

For once, Shu was not impressed by their beauty. His humming stopped abruptly. A more incredible specimen had captured his eye- a young woman with long black hair who gazed at him with wide eyes.

**Oma**

She was sick of it. Sick of the endless war, sick of the horrid stench that pervaded every home. It had taken an entire month to pluck up the courage, but she knew she had to leave. She couldn't bear to stay in this land of the dead and the dying.

That early spring morning, she gathered essentials, stuffed them in a knapsack, and snuck out of her father's cabin. Daybreak wasn't far off. She knew she would have to be quick to get away before-

"OMA!" _Oh, no…_ "Oma, where are you going? Darling? Come back! OMAAA!" The young woman leaped into a full-out sprint as her mother screeched at her back. She couldn't bring herself to stop until she had reached the top of a far-off hill- _the_ hill, she realized with a jolt. The final boundary between her world and theirs. Curiosity niggled at her spirit, but she forced herself to sit and rest for a moment.

There was absolutely no way she would look over that hill. Not a chance. _No,_ she told herself sternly. She stretched and stood, decidedly against even the _tiniest _peek into enemy territory. _Do they live like us? Maybe they eat different foods! What if they dress differently? _As these important questions took over her thoughts, her body inched closer...and closer…and closer to the edge of the hill. When she realized what she was doing, she hopped backwards and shook her head, warring with herself. _Curiosity killed the saber-toothed moose-lion, Oma. Think it through!_

Just as she was about to tear her own hair out, a young man came sauntering over the ridge. Her pale hand dropped to her sides, and her breath caught. He couldn't be…But he had to be...Spirits, why did these things always happen to her?


	2. First Impression

**Shu**

For a moment, he could only stare at the girl in admiration. Her dark hair was pulled into a haphazard bun, her pale cheeks carried a hint of the sun in their light blush, and she wore a plain white robe, as did many of the women in his own village- though theirs were black. Her dark eyes sparkled with an unusual curiosity.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

He clapped his palms together and bowed in the greeting of peace, a gesture rarely used anymore. She cocked her head and took a moment to realize what he was doing. She hurriedly returned the gesture. It was only then that he realized the obvious.

He had never seen her before. If he'd never seen her before, then she must have come up the other side of the hill. If she'd came from the other side of the hill, then that must mean…_Oh._ Disappointment colored his thoughts.

An awkward pause filled the twelve meter gap between them and made it miles.

Her eyes met his, searching. "Are you Raiquen?" Her question could almost be considered rude for its blatant nature, but she didn't break eye contact or show a hint of shame at her boldness. She didn't even look afraid…

"As much as you are Chantrea." All his life, the evils done to his people by the opposing village had been enough to fuel his loathing. A strand of dark hair fell from her haphazard bun and lightly grazed her cheek.

"Guess we aren't allowed to speak, then."

"Guess not." Lately, his hatred was in low supply. She kept eye contact with him and lightly stepped a few meters closer.

"We should probably turn around and go home."

"We should." He didn't even know why the war had started in the first place. She smiled.

"Right now."

"Right now." _Spirits, her eyes…_

A beat.

She grinned. "Want to eat lunch with me?"


	3. On and On

**Oma**

As Oma served him a meager portion of her bread, she attempted to watch him inconspicuously- not that she had ever been very successful at anything that required stealth. She was burning with questions, but she knew that she would have to restrain herself to seem like a sane, sensible person. "What's your name?"

"Shu. And you are?" There was an amused glint in his eye- one she'd seen so many times before in the eyes of the elders of her village. She squinted at him, suspicious. _Is he laughing at me?_

Despite her misgivings, she replied airily, "Oma."

They ate their bread in silence after that. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was certainly odd; Oma had never spent such a long time in a Raiquen's presence. He didn't seem like an enemy. His eyes were as dark as his inky black hair, and his features were incredibly similar to those of her own people. If she didn't know better, he could be from her own village. Slightly darker skin and calluses told her that he had experience on the battlefield. She winced at that, but continued to study him. He wore a black, belted version of her own white tribal attire. A curved dagger was sheathed at his waist, but he kept his hand far from it as though to reassure her. He was well-muscled, as a warrior was wont to be, and his mouth was molded in a perpetual smirk, like he knew something she didn't. Something she _had_ to know.

"Do you come here often?" she queried, having finished the last of her lunch.

Shu nodded. "Whenever I need to think." He cupped his head in his hands and fell back so that he faced the noon sun. "Sometimes I stay here for days at a time."

"Doesn't your village need you to fight?" She bit her lip, suddenly wondering if she had crossed a line. Shu opened one eye and looked at her. He was quiet for a few moments. Then he settled back into that relaxed position, eyes closed.

"The war goes on."

Oma nodded, hushed. On a whim, she copied his pose and basked in the sun's rays. Its warmth was nice, but she had so many distracting questions. She pursed her lips in a rare feat of will, determined he would ask the next question.

The grass waved. The sun shone. The clouds scuttled across the sky. Shu didn't speak.

The seasons cycled. Not a word was uttered by the young warrior next to her.

Her hair turned gray and she shriveled into a prune, but the man was still silent.

"You're really quiet, you know?" _So much for will power,_ she sighed inwardly.

Shu chuckled. "Alright, then. Why did _you_ come here?" She shot him a glare, unsure of how to respond. He shrugged. "Fair's fair."

Oma sat up and rubbed her temples. "I…I might have…um…run away."

"Why?" he asked.

She held her breath and stared hard into the sun until she couldn't anymore. Spots of light obscured her vision, and she finally allowed herself to exhale. "The war goes on."


	4. Of Shoes and Curtsies

**Shu**

The war. It had been tugging at him for years, and now it held him in a deadly grip.

His father had been molding him into an admirable warrior since his earliest memories, and he'd been sent onto the battlefield at age sixteen, when he'd officially entered manhood. It was the great rite of his village. He'd made his first kill that day.

The dead man's open eyes still haunted him.

"So…Shu. Do you…umm…like…shoes?"

He couldn't help it. Laughter burst from him, and her shock made him cackle all the more. To be jolted from such dark thoughts by a question like _that_ from a girl he should hate- it was all too comical. In seconds she had joined in; when she snorted, they collapsed into another fit.

Eventually, the merriment subsided. Shu shook his head. "Of all possible conversation starters, you choose that one?"

Oma huffed, "It's not every day you meet a guy whose name sounds like an article of clothing. What other questions could possibly come to mind in that situation?" Her features became mock-pouty.

He pretended to seriously consider her query. After a minute of 'deep thought,' he replied in a pompous tone, "Madam, I must retract my previous statement. You are completely correct- there is a surprising lack of relevant questions one could direct toward someone whose name resembles an article of clothing."

She nodded sagely. "It's my pleasure to shed a little light on such all-important topics." Their eyes met. It quickly escalated into a hardcore staring contest. Oma giggled and turned away first.

For a minute, it was quiet. "Shu…What were you thinking about?"

Fear gripped him. If he opened this door- if he reminded them of the war out loud- would he lose her? It was odd, but he already dreaded the day she disappeared. This girl had made him…happy. Such an emotion was foreign to a man of war, yet she had accomplished it easily in a short amount of time. How could he speak of blood and death when this woman was nothing but the breath of life?

"You don't have to tell me. I mean, since we're enemies and all, I guess you probably shouldn't. I was just curious. Mother always says it's my worst failing, and according to her, I have about a thousand shortcomings, so that's really saying something." She sounded genuinely amused. It was puzzling.

"Doesn't her opinion matter to you? She's your mother."

"Oh, sure, it used to, when I worked to master the perfect curtsy." She stood and fell gracefully through the movement. He accepted her proffered hand and bowed to her, as though asking for a dance. She grinned and twirled beneath his raised arm, then spun away and put her hands on her hips. "Then I realized that there are more important things than behaving like a lady." She raised her head haughtily. "I'm not going to spend my life cooking and sewing."

Shu blinked. "Why not?"

When her dark eyes flashed murderously, he wondered if he should climb a tree or run in zigzags downhill.

"I mean, it's just, well, you're a woman, and that's what women do, and what's so bad about it?" He'd never felt so tongue-tied in his life. He was about to start zigzagging.

"Do I look like a horse hound?"

"Um…no?"

"Do I look like an animal domesticated solely to work for mankind?"

"No…"

"Do I think?"

"Yes. I never said-"

"SH. So what makes me, as a woman, any more likely to find purpose in doing housework than a man?"

"Er…"

"Final question: Could I beat a man in an argument?"

"I think you just did."

"Exactly!" A satisfied smirk graced her lips. "What I'm saying is that I want more than some predetermined destiny. Don't you?"

"I…I've never really thought like that. If I tried to leave…I couldn't. My village needs me."

Her eyes widened and she angled her face away. "They'll find someone to take your place."

Shu ran a hand through his hair. "To my family, it would be like I died."

"They would get on with their lives," she snapped defensively.

He moved closer to get her attention, but she seemed half-lost to another world. _She ran away from home,_ he remembered. Shu spoke softly, "Yeah, they would." Her eyes snapped up to meet his, panicked. He took her hand between his. "But they would have died a little themselves. Family is about loyalty. How could I leave them to fend for themselves in this spirit-forsaken war?" He realized his hand cradled her cheek. He could breathe nothing but her, and wondered why he had ever lived any other way.

It was exhilarating.

Just a little closer…


	5. Away

**Oma**

His hand was so warm. She leaned into it, needing the comfort. Her hand reached up to cover his, unbidden. When she opened her eyes, she realized how beautiful he was. How deep his dark eyes were, as though if she leaned a little farther, she could fall…

Oma sprang back, heart thudding. She turned around, hoping to hide her blush- and her shame.

"I have to go back."

Shu sat, silent.

"I can't abandon them. You're right. I don't care about honor, but I can't hurt them like that."

He waited another long moment before replying, "I'm sorry."

She stared at the ground and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, too. It's not…" But she didn't know what it wasn't, or even what it was, so she just glared at a tuft of grass that dared to wave happily in the cool breeze.

"You should go." He hadn't done anything to her. Why was she running?

"I should." She always ran.

"Right now." He sounded…broken, almost.

"Right now…" She felt broken, too.

So she fled.


End file.
